The question we are asked most frequently is regarding when we will travel. It's forefront on our minds as well. As many of you know, we were told to expect to be in Kazakhstan at some point in October. With October coming to a quick close and no word from our agency, we began to dig for some better answers.
Our research revealed a bit more about what happens to our file from the time it arrives in Kaz to the time we receive our Letter of Invitation. The file first goes to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in Astana for processing, which in turn sends it to the Ministry of Education (MOE) for review. Next, the file is forwarded to the Guardianship Body in the town or region where the adoption will take place. Once the file has cleared this stage, the Guardianship Body will then issue a letter inviting the parents to travel to Kazakhstan to apply for adoption. This letter is necessary for the parents to obtain a Kazakhstani visa.
So how long does all of that take? Some sources say the files average about one month at the MFA and another month at the MOE. Other sources say the average is 4 to 8 weeks at each ministry. We've heard a few stories of much longer waits but those seem to be the exceptions. From what we can tell, the file does not linger with the Guardianship Body unless there is not a child available meeting the criteria.
And where is our file? Our file was confirmed in Kazakhstan on 17 September. Six weeks later, our file is still at the MFA, its first stop. Our agency promised to notify us when our file moves to the MOE. If we've heard nothing more in a couple weeks, we will follow up with our agency again. (Definitely prior to the Yeomans' Grey Cup trip so as to help Elaine know whether to plan to stay in Toronto or not.)
As long as our file is still at the MFA, we know we can count on it being at least another month (probably more) before we receive the invitation. As of now, we're assuming December will be the earliest possible time for travel. In the end, nobody knows for sure!
That's what we think we know at this point. Stay tuned for changes and updates.
2 comments:
Cool! I cannot see the current weather, though.
It looks as though Charger is taking advantage of this waiting period to get fully rested so that he is ready for his new playmate.
Thanks. Anyone else having problems viewing the weather graphics?
Yes, Charger has taken years to perfect his resting technique(s).
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